Why India's literacy level of 80.9% cannot erase the gender and spatial gap

India's increasing literacy level—currently at a respectable 80.9% as per the recent Periodic Labour Force Survey (2023–24)—should, at first glance, be a matter for jubilation. But there is more than meets the eye to this headline: literacy in India remains grossly unequal—distorted by geography, twisted by gender, and constrained by systemic disregard.

We are experiencing what seems like a paradox. On the one hand, there are countries such as Mizoram (98.2%), Lakshadweep (97.3%), and Kerala (95.3%) that offer us a strong vision of what can happen when government, social transformation, and inclusive access come together. And on the other, most of rural India—particularly in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar—paint a very different picture. A tale where schools have no teachers, where girls exit classrooms before they reach puberty age, and where early marriage continues to cut short education before it can gain foothold.

The figures are damning. Rural Rajasthan's female literacy rate is a pathetic 61.8%, a stunning 22-point difference compared to their male counterparts. Rural literacy in Madhya Pradesh is 71.6% versus 85.7% in the city. These aren't statistics. They're indicators of a system structurally unequal—where caste, gender, poverty, and politics determine who gets education and who gets left behind.

What we need to challenge is the very concept of literacy. According to PLFS, it is just the ability to read and write with comprehension in any language. But what power does this superficial definition provide, when girls continue to be excluded from schools, when books are not present, when teachers fail to report for duty?

India does not have a literacy crisis. It has a literacy justice crisis.

It's time to change the narrative. From percentage points to people-driven reform. From measuring how many can read to asking: who gets to dream? The next chapter of Indian progress cannot celebrate statistical wins, but grapple with the moral failure of allowing inequality to fester under the pretense of progress.

Until each girl in every rural classroom can study without fear, the anniversary of 80.9% must wait. Because literacy should never be a numbers game—it should be about raising them.